Ehab Mohamed Abo El Soad Abd El Kafy , Omar Farouk Helal. “Effect of Rowing on Ventilatory Function in Children with Down’s syndrome” Ehab Mohamed Abo El Soad Abd El Kafy , Omar Farouk Helal. Umm Al Qura University. Table (2): Comparison of pre treatment mean values of measured variables Introduction Generally most pulmonary rehabilitation programs emphasize training of lower extremity using singly or in combination with stationary cycle exercise, treadmill walking or ground based walking Physical activity and exercise program showed effectiveness on improving cardiopulmonary fitness and muscle strength in children and adolescents with down’s syndrome Effects of a rowing exercise regimen on pulmonary functions in children with Down’s syndrome were examined. Methods Twenty nine participants of both sexes, with age ranged between 8 to and 12 years,were participated in this study. They assigned randomly into two study groups. The first group received chest physical therapy program, All participants in both study groups received their treatment regimen for 20-30 minutes, 3 times / week, for 12 successive weeks. The study group (A), received chest physical therapy program (CPTP) including (positioning, breathing exercise, postural drainage in addition to incentive spirometer training. The study group (B) received an aerobic training regimen (ATR) using a rowing Ergometer. While the second group received an aerobic exercise regimen using a rowing ergometer. Ventilatory functions including Vital Capacity(VC), Forced Vital Capacity(FVC), Forced Expiratory Volume after one second (FEV1) and Peak Expiratory Flow Rate (PEFR) were measured before and after 12 successive weeks of treatment. A Zan -680 Ergospirometry system was used which is a recording device for synchronous registration of breathing flow, respiration volumes as well as inspired and expired gases, ZAN-680 R messgeraete GmbH spirometry in accordance with recommendations of the European Respiratory Society at room temperature by the same investigator 25. It consist of: a. Breath gas (O2 and CO2 ) analyzer, b. Gas bottle, c. Rubber mouthpiece, clips and mask, Computer unit manipulate and analyze the measured parameters as well as printer to print out the results Discussion The chest physical therapy program that was used in the current study for Group A aimed to reduce work of breathing and improve efficiency of ventilation by using positioning, postural drainage, percussion and deep breathing exercises using the incentive spirometer. The improvement in post treatment results of the Group (A) may be attributed to the chest physical therapy program. It remains an essential component in the pulmonary rehabilitation. The chest physical therapy improves: ventilatory functions, circulation and prevent infection of the lung and other tissues by improving alveolar ventilation, venous return and lymph drainage and decreasing dead space ventilation. Post treatment improvement may also be attributed to the strengthening of respiratory muscles which is most likely responsible for the improvement in the ventilatory functions and exercise capacity and endurance. It also helps in the reduction of dyspnea and symptoms of breathlessness and maintaining of positive pressure in the airways especially the large one by removal of excessive secretions Conclusion A twelve-week program of aerobic training with rowing Ergometer improves ventilatory functions in children with Down’s syndrome. Further studies are required to detect whether aerobic exercise training programs have valuable effects on ventilatory functions in children and adults with DS. Also which types of aerobic exercise programs are clinically worthwhile. Finally, detecting the ideal duration and intensity of the program that could be the most useful for improving ventilatory functions for children with DS. Results The results of this study showed that, there was no significant difference in the mean values of age , weight and height of the participating children included in both control and study groups. The mean values of groups A and B for participant’s age (years), weight (kilogram) and height (meter) The results were matched with normal healthy children.The results showed significant improvement toward normal values in all measured variables post treatment compared to pre treatment in both study groups. It also revealed no significant difference between the two group post treatment,however, better mean values were recorded in favor of the rowing regimen group. Acknowledgments We wish to acknowledge our gratitude to the participating children and their parents without whose contributions this study would not have been accomplished. References 1- Smith DS. Health care management of adults with Down syndrome. Am Fam Physician 2001; 64: 1031–1038. 2- Beverly D, Dale A . Treadmill Training of Infants with Down Svndrome: Evidence-Based Development Outcomes. Pediatrics J. 2006; 108 (5) 2006. 3- Bittles AH, Glasson EJ. Clinical, social, and ethical implications of changing life expectancy in Down syndrome. Dev Med Child Neurol .2004; 46: 282– 286. TABLE (1 ) The demographic data of the participating children